Washington landslide death toll rises to 33

By Stefan Simons, CNN

Updated 1:28 PM ET, Mon April 7, 2014

Photos: Washington state landslide41 photos

Washington state landslide – President Obama speaks to first responders, recovery workers and community members on Tuesday, April 22, at the scene of the deadly landslide that devastated Oso, Washington, one month before. The landslide crossed the North Fork of the Stillaguamish River and caused multiple deaths and massive damage.

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Washington state landslide – An excavator clears a drainage channel on Wednesday, April 2.

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Washington state landslide – This satellite image taken on Monday, March 31, shows the path of the landslide.

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Washington state landslide – Workers cut a tree next to a possible victim on Sunday, March 30.

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Washington state landslide – Search-and-rescue teams use a path of plywood to walk through a muddy field in Arlington, Washington, on March 30.

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Washington state landslide – Tryon, a rescue dog muddied from the day's work, stands with his handler March 30 near the west side of the landslide.

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Washington state landslide – Rescue workers dig through mud and debris near Darrington, Washington, on Saturday, March 29.

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Washington state landslide – Mailboxes are seen in floodwater March 29 near Darrington.

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Washington state landslide – Searchers in Oso pause for a moment of silence on Saturday, March 29. It was observed at 10:37 a.m., exactly one week after the landslide tore through the small community.

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Washington state landslide – Search-and-rescue personnel attend a moment of silence at the fire house in Darrington.

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Washington state landslide – Ralph Jones helps provide shelter for Brooke Odenius, right, Klarissa Calviste and their baby daughters during the moment of silence at the fire house in Darrington.

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Washington state landslide – Staff Sgt. Jonathon Hernas of the Air National Guard carefully makes his way across debris and mud while searching for missing people March 29 in Oso.

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Washington state landslide – Air National Guard members look out at the hill where the landslide originated while they search through debris March 29 in Oso.

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Washington state landslide – Heavy machinery is used to move debris as members of the Air National Guard search for victims on March 29.

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Washington state landslide – Search-and-rescue workers wade through water covering a highway near Darrington on Thursday, March 27. The landslide left buildings covered in up to 40 feet of mud.

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Washington state landslide – A searcher walks near a massive pile of debris in Oso on March 27.

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Washington state landslide – The muddied waters of the North Fork of the Stillaguamish River mix with the cleaner flow of the river's South Fork on March 27.

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Washington state landslide – Emergency vehicles fill State Route 530 leading to the scene of the landslide in Oso on Wednesday, March 26.

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Washington state landslide – Washington Gov. Jay Inslee speaks on the phone with a victim's family member as he flies to the Snohomish County Emergency Operations Center in Everett on March 26.

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Washington state landslide – Search-and-rescue workers look through debris on March 26.

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Washington state landslide – Teresa Welter cries during a candlelight vigil in Arlington on Tuesday, March 25.

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Washington state landslide – The roof of a house sits among debris as emergency personnel continue to look for survivors on March 25.

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Washington state landslide – Search-and-rescue workers use dogs to look for survivors on March 25.

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Washington state landslide – A boot is found among the debris on March 25.

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Washington state landslide – A search-and-rescue worker looks for survivors on March 25.

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Washington state landslide – Chaplains watch as crews clear debris from State Route 530 in Oso on March 25.

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Washington state landslide – The remains of the massive landslide are seen on Monday, March 24. The landslide blocked the highway and the Stillaguamish River.

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Washington state landslide – A King County Sheriff's Office helicopter lowers a rescue worker on March 24.

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Washington state landslide – A search-and-rescue team carries the body of a victim on March 24.

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Washington state landslide – Volunteers help out with the search in Oso on March 24.

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Washington state landslide – Snohomish County Executive John Lovick wipes a tear during a briefing in downtown Arlington on March 24.

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Washington state landslide – Natalie Reed, right, and her 5-year-old daughter, Deja, attend a prayer service at Arlington United Church on March 24 for those affected by the landslide.

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Washington state landslide – An intact house sits at the edge of the landslide on March 24.

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Washington state landslide – The Langston family watches an online news clip about the landslide on Sunday, March 23, while they stay at a temporary Red Cross shelter in Darrington. The family's home was flooded after the landslide blocked the Stillaguamish River.

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Washington state landslide – A destroyed home is stranded atop mud and debris on State Route 530 near Oso on March 23.

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Washington state landslide – Downed power lines and parts of a destroyed house can be seen in the debris blocking the road near Oso on March 23.

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Washington state landslide – Gov. Jay Inslee, right, comforts Barbara Welsh after a news conference March 23 outside the Arlington Police Department. Welsh's husband, Bill, was among the scores of people listed as missing immediately after the disaster.

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Washington state landslide – Emergency workers arrive at the scene of the landslide on Saturday, March 22.

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Washington state landslide – Groundwater saturation, tied to heavy rainfall in the area over the past month, was blamed for the landslide.

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Washington state landslide – The landslide cut off the small town of Darrington and prompted an evacuation notice for fear of a potentially "catastrophic flood event," authorities said.

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Washington state landslide – The first Washington State Patrol trooper arrives on the scene on March 22, according to the patrol's Twitter feed.

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Story highlights

12 people still are missing, authorities say

Landslide happened in the North Cascade Mountains on March 22

Of 33 bodies recovered, 30 have been identified

The death toll from last month's landslide in rural Washington state has risen to 33, the Snohomish County medical examiner's office said Monday.

That count is up from 30, which was the number given late last week. Twelve people are still missing, the county sheriff's office said.

A square mile of wet earth and rock rushed into the outskirts of the town of Oso in the North Cascade Mountains on March 22.